https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-15422487/british-backpacker-legal-guardian-nine-children-orphanage-abuse.htmlBritish backpacker reveals how she became the legal guardian of nine children after uncovering horrific abuse at orphanage
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By ALI GRAVES
Published: 09:57, 10 January 2026 | Updated: 10:03, 10 January 2026
A British woman has revealed how a travel adventure following her A-levels changed her life forever after she was placed in an orphanage in Tanzania, and ended up becoming the legal guardian to nine of the children who lived there. Letty McMaster, now 31, from Tunbridge Wells, was just 18 when she set off in 2012 with a school friend on a month-long volunteering placement at the children's home in Tanzania. The student had planned for the placement to be the first stop on a gap year but the weeks spent with the street children stopped her in her tracks. Letty quickly discovered that many of the orphans were being subjected to emotional, physical and sexual abuse, with some of them confiding in her 'like a big sister' during her stay. Speaking to the Daily Mail, she says those first weeks spent in the East African country changed the course of her life. This is where everything changed. I ended up staying for the most part of the next three years. I learned the language and that's when the truth really unfolded. When I heard and witnessed what the children were going through, I was determined to give them a proper place to call home where they could be safe, loved and cared for.'
Remarkably, Letty was registered as the legal guardian of nine of the children when she was just 22 years old. Within those three years, the local government closed the orphanage down but Letty had already set plans in motion to have a home ready for the children to move into. After taking them into her care at just 22, the children, who ranged from 10 to 16 years old at the time, she has raised them as a family unit for the last nine years and seen them prosper. She says: 'When I think back, I'm like "oh my goodness, I was still so young myself", but there was no way I wasn't doing it, I was determined. I was ready to do whatever it took - and it took a lot.'
Letty went through different legal processes with social welfare, regional offices and all types of government officials. There was also another moral reason behind Letty's decision. 'They needed a place to call home and not be seen as orphans. At the orphanage, they were very much a tourist attraction with a much darker side. I needed them out of that situation and that cycle of abuse.'
The children were subjected to emotional and physical abuse and according to Letty, learning the local language of Swahili was key to finding out what was truly going on. In 2019, Letty continued her mission and opened a second home, known as a safe house, specifically for children who are on the streets and need an immediate relief option. The home has supported more than 100 children per year and here they can play football, have food, shower and receive counselling.
'This was the best way for me to assess the best route of action for each child,' she said.
'Some younger ones can be rehomed with relatives if it's safe to do so but older ones might choose vocational courses. I support them in a local college where they can learn useful skills like mechanics and carpentry.'
The home is also used to house abandoned babies. Often, when a mother dies during childbirth in the region, relatives need support to look after the newborn. The team provide those life-saving essentials in the first stage of their lives. She spends nine months of the year in Tanzania, returning to the UK to work in temporary roles that help fund her cause. In Tanzania, she works alongside trusted staff, including a security guard, a social worker and a cook. Back in the UK, she also works on her charity work, fundraising and partnership deals. Letty, who has a younger sister in the UK, admits that although she takes on a parental role, it's more sibling-like love. 'I see them all like my brothers and sisters, but my family do also come out and visit me in Tanzania.'
Naturally, Letty's work comes at a cost. While initially volunteering, friends and family would donate to help with everyday things like mosquito nets and medical care. Since then, Letty set up her UK-registered charity, Street Children Iringa, in 2017. Iringa, a city in the southern highlands of Tanzania where the charity is based, is home to many vulnerable street children due to rural poverty, family breakdown and a lack of child protection services. Tanzania has one of the highest rates of child vulnerability in East Africa, with an estimated two million children having lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS, with only 19 per cent of births officially registered. As the children raised in the family home are now adults, Letty's focus for 2026 is underway with plans in motion to expand Street Children Iringa's reach. Alongside maintaining the safe house, she is soon launching a new project supporting young mothers and their babies living on the streets. Many of these young mothers are in this situation after fleeing forced marriages, which remain common for girls as young as 11 in some tribal villages. Street life in Iringa is tough. Letty describes how many survive by finding rubbish in dumps, finding anything they can to sell to get food and many sleep in dumps or gutters. It's extremely dangerous at night and a lot end up involved in gangs and drugs. The safe houses also allow the children to dream big for the first time. 'It's making them believe they can achieve anything and ridding themselves psychologically of being a street child,' she said.
'With the right support, love and believing in them, they can do anything. One of my boys, Mohamed, was involved in gangs and drugs and now he's a professional boxer.'
Mohamed, 19, said: 'I feel so lucky to have been welcomed into the family home. Before this I was alone on the street, involved in gangs and drugs since I was 12. I have succeeded so much since having a place to call home and the love and support I needed. Now I am a respected boxer, referred to as a champion and representing my region. I am so grateful to my sister Letty for believing in me when no one else did.'
In December 2020, Letty and Street Children Iringa received a 'Point of Light' award from then Prime Minister Boris Johnson; to date she has raised over £500,000 to support the charity's homes, education programmes and welfare projects over the past nine years. In the future, Letty would love to take things even further and expand her safe houses across Africa but for now, she is focused on one thing at a time. Over new year, she flew out for a huge celebratory dinner with her extended family. 'Christmas isn't such a big deal over there, but we always mark a fresh New Year and all our successes past, present and to come.'
To donate to Street Children Iringa, visit, totalgiving.co.uk/charity/street-children-iringa or for more information, visit streetchildreniringa.org.
